To Wait By One's Deathbed
by gungnirburst
Summary: Fatally injured during a mission, Naruto learns that his life could end at any moment. And Sasuke can do nothing but watch over him and fall in love. [ AR. Sasuke/Naruto. ]
1. The Results

Fanfic Title: To Wait By One's Deathbed

Anime: Naruto

Pairing: Sasuke x Naruto

Author: keadeblue264

Hi Hi! This is my first SasuNaru yo! *bells and whistles go off* I know I should work on my other stories, but I HAD to start writing this. I HAD TO!! Anyway, I realize that I might get flames for this because I'm considering putting some character death in this fic, but I'm still thinking about that detail. I hope whoever reads this story enjoys it anyway. And I figured that I would try writing their names they way they do in Japan. (ex. Uzumaki Naruto) I wanted to see if I prefered it that way. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND FF.N!! :D!

Here's some FYI for you people that may be reading this. I…hate…Sasuke. I hate him and he must DIE!! HE JUST BETTER BE GLAD HE'S SEXY AND THAT HE'S GOOD IN THE SASUNARU FANFICS!! coughandbeingOrochimaru'sbitchcough In fact, just writing this pains me a little because Sasu-teme doesn't deserve someone like Naru-chan! *pouts* But I'm doing it anyway so yeah…PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!

Summary: After a rogue ninja attack leaves Naruto with irreversible brain damage that could possibly kill him, Sasuke has the unwanted job of staying by his side for comfort. Whether Naruto will live or whether he will die is in question, but the love that he and Sasuke begin to feel during their time together might make his final days happier.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Naruto. But if I did, I would make the yaoi fangirls (and yaoi fanboys. Yes, they exist. Just a lil info for those of you who didn't know. Hell one of my best friends is a yaoi fanboy. I LUVS U!! *glomps my yaoi fanboy BF*) of the world happy by filling it with yaoi smex.

Warnings: Boy-boy romance (more in the shonen-ai department than full-blown yaoi smex), possible character death (DON'T KILL ME PLEASE!! I NEED MY LIFE SO I CAN WRITE MORE YAOI FANFICTION!!)

Chapter 1: The Results

The feeling in the waiting room was tense and chaotic, medical ninja running in and out of the patient ward in hurried groups where an unconscious and fatally injured Uzumaki Naruto lay. The mission that was assigned to Squad 7 had ended horrendously, the evidence of their failure profoundly marring the young ninja's body.

"Kakashi-sensei, is Naruto going to be okay?" an anxious Sakura asked.

Haruno Sakura had already been a nervous, emotional wreck upon arriving at the hospital, but it go worse with every medical ninja that scrambled by. She was always overemotional, but at least this time she had reason to be.

"Well, we won't know until the examination is done, but I'm sure he's fine," Kakashi responded coolly.

Hatake Kakashi, however, was as levelheaded as ever, his face buried inside his always kept on hand Make-Out Paradise book. Keeping a cool head under pressure was second nature to him by now and he wasn't going to blow it just because an accident happened to one of his genin charges.

"But Sensei! I realize you're trying to make me feel better, but we all saw his injuries! He could die!" Sakura yelled hysterically, her eyes on the verge of overflowing with tears.

"Calm down, Sakura," Sasuke said in his usual monotone voice.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on one of the waiting room benches with an aura of complete calm surrounding him, so relaxed to the point where it didn't seem like he cared at all about what happened to the blonde ninja. Getting emotional was never really an issue for him either.

"There's no point getting upset now," Sasuke continued, "Just sit down and be calm."

"Sasuke's right, Sakura. Besides, you know what Naruto would say if he saw you like this," Kakashi said.

Sakura reluctantly did as she was told and sat down on the same bench as Sasuke with her hands together in her lap. She did appear slightly calmer, but she still jumped when a medical ninja came in the waiting room, clipboard in hand.

He turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, we have the results of Uzumaki Naruto's examination."

Several hours earlier

In one of the main structures of Konoha, mission debriefings were heard left and right and clients exchanged payment for completed missions. The squad captain and the three genin of Squad 7 walked out of the building on their way to their current mission.

Uzumaki Naruto, the class clown and container of the Kyuubi, was known amongst his teammates as a nonstop complainer. Not five minutes out of the building and the first of most likely many expected complaints was issued.

"Kakashi-sensei, why do we have to go on this boring mission?" Naruto asked, his arms behind his head.

Their squad captain sighed before saying, "Naruto, you ask me that every mission and I answer you every time. We have to do the missions we are assigned."

"But they're so boring," Naruto said.

"You say that every time, too," Sasuke commented, walking past the slow moving Naruto.

The blonde glared at the dark-haired boy, about to start a fight with the Uchiha, but Sakura rushed inbetween them.

"Yeah. Can't you just do the missions we're given and not complain?" Sakura asked, following behind Sasuke closely.

Sakura looked at Naruto with death in her eyes, silently promising to beat him senseless if he even thought about hurting the object of her over obsessive crush.

"Well, I can't help it if I'm about to die of boredom every mission," Naruto replied sarcastically.

Though he was slightly afraid of the look the pink-hair ninja was giving him, Naruto managed to stay cool under Sakura's death glare, which was a grand accomplishment by itself.

"Will you three stop? We have to go out of village for this mission so please try to keep your guard up and remember to work together if we happen to run across any danger," Kakashi said.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," the three genin said in unison.

They exited the grand gates of Konoha and set out to the location of their mission. Kakashi was the only one who knew the details of their assignment and the three young ninjas had to wait until they got to the location to find out what they would be doing.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. Just tell us what we're doing already," Naruto whined.

"I just don't understand how your mind works. You said it was a boring mission, but you don't even know what you're going on a mission for," Kakashi said.

"Doesn't mean it won't be boring," Naruto complained yet again.

The other squad members let out an agitated sigh. Most would think that the rest of the squad would be used to the blonde's complaining by now, but nothing could be further from the truth.

"Naruto, you're annoying," Sakura groaned, her hand covering her forehead.

"More annoying than usual," Sasuke said with his back to Naruto so he didn't see the blonde glare at him.

"Can't we go through one mission without the three of you bickering with each other?" Kakashi asked.

"But Sensei--what's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, seeing that the gray-haired man was stiff.

"We're being followed," Kakashi answered, his visible eye tracing their surroundings carefully.

Sakura gasped and looked around before asking, "Where are they, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I don't know, but stay still until I can pinpoint their position."

The three genin nodded in response to his order. The area remained quiet for a few moments. The tree branches scraped against each other when the wind blew, all other sounds fading away in the dangerous atmosphere.

Kakashi looked around, examining his surroundings as best he could for any sign of enemy ninja. He held the lives of three young ninjas in his hands and if any of them were hurt, he could only blame himself.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he sensed the presence of two enemy ninjas and shouted, "Naruto! Look out!"

But it was already too late. The enemy ninja burst through the trees and attacked Naruto with metal pincer-like contraptions attached to their hands. Naruto jumped back to avoid the first ninja, but he was not fast enough to evade the second.

The second ninja lunged and pierced Naruto on the left side of his abdomen, the claw stained profoundly with the boy's blood when it came out his back. The blonde coughed up blood, its metallic taste filling his mouth and running along his tongue. The ninja were exceptionally fast, the other squad members had a difficult time trying to keep up with any of their movements as they attacked Naruto and they were too stunned to actually help their comrade.

But they were really unprepared for the next part.

The first ninja grabbed Naruto by the head with his claw, ripping the boy's body from his associate's claw. The ninja flung Naruto, the claw leaving deep gashes on his head and face. The other squad members saw the target of the ninja's throw, but they were powerless to stop it in time. Sakura screamed and covered her eyes.

A sickening crack rang through their ears.

Naruto's head had collided with a large boulder thirty feet away. His body slumped to the ground with a thud, blood from all of his injuries spilling out onto the grass with the fall. The blood continued to flood out of his body as he gradually lost consciousness, his clothes immensely contaminated with the red liquid. The last thing Naruto heard before he blacked out was Sakura's second scream.

Author's Note: Yeah I'm sorry about the shortness of this first chapter, but I just couldn't do anything else with it. Hopefully, the following chapters will be at least a little longer, but I have I feeling that they might all be about this long. And before any of you ask, the ninja with the claw thingys that attacked Naruto have nothing to do with the ninja in the that attacked the group before Zabuza showed up. You know, the ones with the poison in their claw thingys. I just needed a claw thing to make it work out so yeah. Anyway, please read and review and I'll see ya'll in chapter 2!


	2. The Inevitable

Chapter 2 is up…thank god. I think I'm digging myself into a hole. I've got a lot (well maybe not a lot a lot, but they're gonna be pretty long…) of stories that are published on this site and none of them are even close to being finished. I guess I'm better at plot stories cuz that's all I write. Can't really get the urge (or inspiration) to write a one-shot, but I do enjoy reading them. Please read & review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. *sigh* It would be awesome if I did though. I'd have bragging rights for the rest of my life.

Chapter 2: The Inevitable

Present time

"Kakashi, we have the results of Uzumaki Naruto's examination," the medical ninja said, motioning for Kakashi to enter the patient ward.

Kakashi looked at the medical ninja and then at his other two pupils before saying, "These two are his teammates. They have a right to know what happened to him."

"Please, Kakashi. I'm just following orders. Come inside."

The gray-haired ninja closed his book with a sigh before following the medical ninja inside the patient ward, tapping on the door lightly with his finger before shutting it. The action was against his better judgment, but he figured they would try to do it anyway so he thought it would be better to give them a free pass this time.

The two genin clearly got his message and moved as close to the door as they could possibly get, hoping to hear the results.

"The puncture wound on his abdomen should heal cleanly. The claw missed his vital organs thankfully and there should be no lasting damage," the medical ninja said faintly.

"What about the cuts on his head?" Kakashi asked just as faintly.

"Given time, they should heal as well. It's the injury to his skull we're concerned about."

"What about it?"

"His skull was broken in several places. We managed to fix the cracks, but we could do nothing about the damage it did to his brain," the medical ninja said solemnly.

"Sakura," Sasuke whispered.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and asked, "What is it, Sasuke-kun?"

"I don't think you should listen anymore," Sasuke whispered back.

"But Sasuke-kun--"

"Shhh! You're being too loud."

Lowering her voice slightly, Sakura continued, "But Sasuke-kun, you heard what Kakashi-sensei said. We have the right to know."

"Yeah, but I doubt you'll be able to contain yourself if you hear bad news," Sasuke retorted.

Sasuke pretty much knew about Sakura's emotional patterns now though he really could have lived without knowing, but he really did not want to have to deal with a crying Sakura if it really came down to it.

"You're acting as if I shouldn't know at all."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't."

Sakura gasped and looked at Sasuke, astonished at what he just said to her. It wasn't the first time Sasuke had hurt her feelings with the way he said things, but the words he said this time cut her deeper than ever before.

"Sasuke-kun…I may get annoyed with Naruto every now and then, but that doesn't mean I don't care. Regardless of what you say, I have to know what happened to him," Sakura said sternly.

Sasuke agitatedly sighed at the pink-haired girl's inability to listen and was about to say something back, but he heard footsteps approach the door and he made a gesture that told Sakura to back away.

"We appreciate all that you've done," Kakashi said, shutting the door behind him as he walked out.

"How bad is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, practically on the edge of the bench in anticipation.

"I thought you two heard everything," Kakashi said.

"We missed the last part," Sasuke responded, his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance.

He hated it when people argued with him needlessly and despite what his other squad members thought, he was slightly curious about what was wrong with Naruto. He just had a problem expressing himself properly and now that he was thinking about it, he really didn't want to if it wasn't necessary.

"Perhaps that was for the better," Kakashi said more to himself than to the two genin.

Kakashi assumed that Sakura and Sasuke and the rest of village for that matter would find out eventually, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to be the bearer of bad news this time.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing. Listen, the medic said you guys can see him when he wakes up."

Sakura gasped excitedly and asked, "Really?"

A low laugh came from Sasuke.

"You're easily distracted, Sakura," he said quietly.

"Anyway," Kakashi continued, "I can't stay here any longer. I have to go file the report to the Hokage."

And with that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the two genin alone in the waiting room.

"Well, he was quick to leave us here," Sasuke commented.

"Yeah…why didn't he tell us about Naruto?" Sakura asked sadly.

Meanwhile in Naruto's mind

Pipes along the walls and on the ceiling above him dripped water. The place he found himself currently was foreign to him but familiar at the same time.

"Where the heck am I?" Naruto asked aloud, his voice echoing along the walls and hallways.

"Well, it seems you've gotten both of us into a pretty bad predicament," an evil sounding voice boomed out from somewhere.

"Who said that?" Naruto asked loudly, running towards the voice.

"I am Kyuubi."

That stopped Naruto dead in his tracks.

"Yes, you heard me right. Now, why don't you hurry up and get over here? We've got a lot to talk about and I'd rather do it while you're still asleep."

Naruto did as the voice said and continued running. The hallways weren't in any condition for running though and Naruto found himself falling into the water sometimes. He ran down hallway after hallway before finally finding a cage-like structure. Large eyes and an equally large mouth were all he could see behind the bars and that was all Naruto was willing to see at the moment.

"About time you got here."

"Oh shut up. I got here as fast as I could. Now what do you want?"

The creature was quite for a bit, his silence slightly unnerving to Naruto.

"We're both on the edge of dying," the beast's mouth finally said.

His words threw Naruto for a loop. Naruto knew he got injured, but he didn't think it was enough to kill him. Especially with the Nine-Tailed Fox demon inside his body to heal him whenever he happened to get injured.

"What?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto yelled at the demon.

"You heard me, child. We could possibly die and I can't do a thing about it," the demon answered, a little exasperated at Naruto's inability to accept it.

"But I don't understand! You're the freaking Nine-Tailed Fox for crying out loud!"

"That doesn't mean I can heal this type of damage."

"What type of damage?" the blonde asked with confusion on his face.

"Damage to the brain. My powers don't work on that area of the body and it will end up killing you which will in turn kill me as well."

Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet for one of the few times in his life. He didn't understand how he could be possibly anywhere near death, but the thought that overpowered him the most was that he didn't want to even think about dying just yet.

"If you don't believe me," the demon started, "why don't you ask the medic who just told the same thing to your sensei?"

Just as the demon said that, the walls around Naruto began to fade as his consciousness was returning to him.

On the outside

"Sir, he's finally waking up," a female medical ninja said to her superior.

"Good. Why don't you tell that to his teammates outside? I'll let you know when you can let them in," the man replied.

The female medic nodded and went out the door to the waiting room.

"Naruto, it would best for you not to talk right now. You will need all the strength you can get," the medical ninja said, seeing the blonde opening his mouth.

Naruto nodded and closed his mouth, holding back his questions for now.

"There's something we need to talk about before your friends can see you," the man continued, a sad look in his eyes.

It was a policy to tell the patient what was wrong with them no matter how bad they would take it.

The medical ninja explained what had happened to his body during the attack and the inevitable was revealed.

According to the medic, the damage that was done to his brain from his head hitting the boulder was pretty severe and irreversible and the only thing that would keep Naruto alive for now was special medication and, of course, willpower. They predicted that Naruto would eventually slip into a coma from the brain trauma and die. After the medic made this clear to Naruto, he went to the door to let the boy's teammates in, but Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted to see anybody at the moment.

Uzumaki Naruto was going to die.

Author's Note: Well, at least I got this put up alongside chapter 1, but….PLEASE DON'T KILL ME YET!! I'm still not really sure about Naruto dying yet, but *babbles sadly before crying* ……This isn't easy for me either, you know! I love Naruto to death!! He's just so friggin' cute!! Anyway, read and review and I'll see you guys later in chapter 3.


	3. The Decision

Chapter 3! Woot woot woot!! Ugh! Story ideas are attacking my brain and I just can't seem to get far with some when I start typing. I mean, at first I can type a couple of pages when I start, but then I go back a few days later and it's like my brain does an automatic shutdown and a large flashing error message covers what is supposed to be my imagination. Well, none of those are published yet so no worries. Anyway, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't know why I have to keep doing this, but I don't own Naruto because I'm not the Japanese author…whatever his name is…can't remember it right now…plus I'm not even a guy so yeah.

Chapter 3: The Decision

The Hokage Tower

Kakashi stood inside the Hokage's office, ready to finish telling him the events of Squad 7's mission after a short, unnerving silence was passed between them.

"I see," the Hokage replied, breaking the silence, "So did you find out why the ninjas attacked Naruto?"

"After his other teammates and I fought and captured them, we managed to get them to tell us. Apparently, someone had put a hit out on his life. We don't know who set up the hit, but there are people investigating that as we speak, sir," Kakashi answered.

"Hmmm…this is troubling at best, Kakashi," the Hokage said.

Kakashi nodded in response, not really sure what to say. Now that it was out in the open, it was hard for Kakashi to talk about the injured Naruto. The hyperactive, knucklehead ninja had grown on him in the short period of time he had been Naruto's sensei.

"Kakashi," the Hokage started, breaking their momentary silence, "you do realize that we can't let him die alone, don't you?"

"Yes I do, Hokage-sama. But what can we do about it? Naruto doesn't have a family."

"That is sad but true, Kakashi."

A silence enveloped the two men once again, both in the process of deep thought. Naruto was the only ninja in all of Konoha that would have the unfortunate fate of possibly dying alone. And as a shinobi of Konoha, that outcome was an undesirable circumstance to say the least.

"Why can't we get one of his teammates to stay with him?" the Hokage proposed.

Thunderstruck for a second, Kakashi replied, "Do you really think that would work, Hokage-sama?"

"It's the only thing I can think of. Now, which one should we get to do this?" the Hokage wondered aloud.

Kakashi wondered on this as well, a headache already forming when he went through what would most likely happen depending on which teammate they picked. Neither result was particularly a good one.

If they picked Sakura, Naruto wouldn't mind, but it was difficult to determine how Sakura would act. She claimed to not like Naruto, but she came pretty close to crying her eyes out in the waiting room. And that blatant outburst of emotion just might upset Naruto more than he probably already was.

If they picked Sasuke, Naruto would most likely hate the arrangement until the day he died. If the two didn't kill each other before his death was supposed to happen that is. They argued a lot on missions so there was no telling how worse it would get if they moved in together. A bloodbath was imminent.

Kakashi was about to unsurely suggest Sakura for the job when the Hokage asked, "How about that Uchiha kid?"

"Sasuke? Are you sure about that, sir?"

"Well, he doesn't have a family either, remember? Besides, it'll give them the opportunity to see that they aren't so different from each other after all."

Kakashi just stared at the village leader, dumbfounded at the Hokage's choice. The old man just gave him a smile back.

"Oh come now, Kakashi. It won't be that bad," the Hokage said.

Kakashi sighed before replying, "Whatever you think is best, Hokage-sama."

"Good then. I suggest you go ahead and inform them of their new arrangement."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke once again, leaving the Hokage in his office alone. The old man chuckled to himself quietly. Things were about to get fairly interesting for the two young ninja in due time.

_The patient ward_

Sakura was the first one to burst hurriedly into the patient ward, followed not so closely by Sasuke. He wasn't in such a rush to see the extent of Naruto's injuries. He probably wouldn't have come in at all if Sakura didn't make him. Sasuke was never too eager about visiting the injured.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said weakly.

"Hey, Naruto. How are you doing?" Sakura asked, tears welling up in her eyes for the second time that day.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. Don't cry," Naruto implored, trying to sit up, but not having the proper amount of strength to do so.

Despite being told not to, Sakura started to cry, tear after tear streaming down her face. She just couldn't hold them back anymore and she eventually started to make small noises that indicated that she was indeed crying in a very upset manner.

Sasuke listened to Sakura's sobs while leaning against the wall, his eyes closed the entire time. Saying he was uncomfortable was an understatement. But as always, he portrayed himself as unemotionally involved as possible. And he would keep this up at least until Sakura left, but he wouldn't breakdown like her. Sasuke wasn't that emotionally distraught by Naruto's misfortune, but it did strike a cord in his heart in some way.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Naruto," Sakura said in the midst of her weeping.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. I'll be fine," Naruto said, his voice straining a little.

"R-Really?"

"You bet. I'll be outta this hospital bed in no time!"

Naruto flashed her one of his carefree smiles, making Sakura break out into a tiny smile herself.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared in the room behind Sakura. She jumped a little with the abrupt return of their sensei, still somewhat on the edge from earlier.

"Sakura, could you come outside with me please? We have something we need to discuss," the gray-haired ninja said.

Looking slightly confused, Sakura replied, "Of course, Kakashi-sensei."

The two stepped out of the patient ward and into the waiting room without glancing back once at the two boys.

Naruto and Sasuke kept themselves in an uneasy silence for close to ten minutes, neither one of them exactly willing to talk to the other. But someone had to break the stillness eventually and Sasuke figured it had to be him.

"You lied."

"What's it to you?"

"You shouldn't have done it."

"It's none of your business."

"Well, I'm sorry to say that you're wrong, Naruto" Kakashi said after noiselessly stepping back into the patient ward.

"What the hell are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, wishing that he were alone for the first time in his life.

"The Hokage and I talked it over and it's been decided that Sasuke is going to live with you for a while, Naruto."

There was a calm quiet in the room for a few moments, but as the meaning of what Kakashi said sunk into their heads, the two boys got angry rather quick.

"What?!" the two boys yelled in unison.

"I don't want Sasuke to live with me!"

"I don't want to live with that idiot!"

Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other irritably, their own anger directed at each other in the depths of their eyes. Kakashi just sighed while standing inbetween the two, his temples throbbing in pain from his growing headache.

"I'm sorry, boys, but it's not up to you. It's already been decided."

"But I don't get it! Why do I have to live with him?!" Sasuke yelled at his sensei, losing ever-present his cool.

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, hesitating a bit before he asked Sasuke, "Naruto didn't tell you?"

It was quiet for the second time in the patient ward. Sasuke just stared at Naruto unknowingly while the blonde avoided the Uchiha's gaze completely. Part of him wanted to tell Sasuke the truth, but the other part didn't want anyone to know.

"I've already told Sakura about the arrangement--"

"You didn't tell her about…you know…did you?" Naruto asked.

His sensei glanced over at him and replied, "I didn't give her too many details, but I figure she'll have to know eventually."

Naruto sighed a bit in relief, but he felt an obvious twinge of pain in his heart. What Kakashi said was a sickly, unwanted reality. Ultimately, everyone in the village would know about Naruto's fate sooner or later. It was a sad thing to think about for the blonde.

"But," Kakashi started, placing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "don't you think you should at least tell Sasuke? He is going to have to stay with you whether you like it or not."

Naruto looked back over at the two standing near the wall, finally sighing in defeat.

"Fine."

Kakashi nodded and stepped out of the room, feeling that his presence was no longer required in the space anymore. The decision was already made and he didn't see why the two boys had to argue over something that was already determined.

And Naruto told Sasuke everything the medic had told him. He tried to keep the explanation short and to the point, but the more he talked about it, the more he just wanted to scream. He didn't want to believe that the end of his life was looming somewhere in the shadows of time that had yet to pass. Just because it was a predicted guess didn't mean that it couldn't be avoided somehow.

But it was hard for the blonde to think of a back way out of his unwelcome deal with death.

Author's Notes: Well…chapter 3 is done. And now I feel like crying my eyes out. *pitiful noises* I don't like writing about people crying because it makes me want to cry. That and poor Naru-chan. *pouty sad face* Why does this have to be so depressing?! Anyway, I thought the last little bit at the end sounded pretty ominous. What do you guys think? Leave me some reviews pretty please! I beg of you to push the review button! Even if all you're gonna do is tell me how sad you are. I just really want some kind of feedback.


	4. The Feeling

Chapter 4 is here, people. Ugh…writing this story is uberly depressing… I guess writing about death and the events that precede it affect you like that. I don't know. This is really my first story concerning the dreadful topic. But I'll probably go through some other form of depression whenever I publish 'Tormented Love'. It's also a SasuNaru, but instead of death, there's abuse of so many varieties. Stupid Sasu-teme…I HATE YOU GO DIE!!! *clears throat* …hehe sorry about that…I really can't stand that Uchiha teme. (I love his brother though. Itachi is amazing!) Anyway, I'm not revealing anymore than that, but I would like for you guys to read it when I do publish it. If you actually like this story I mean. I'm not forcing any of you to read it...but it would be nice. And I realize this is shameless self-promotion, but I don't care. XD!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. Eww. I sound like some sort alarm… Hahahaha alarm… Sorry, private joke.

Chapter 4: The Feeling

Two days later

As preplanned, Sasuke was required to move into Naruto's apartment as soon as his injuries were healed. Which, not surprisingly, only took about two days, thanks impart to Kyuubi's healing ability and a lot of bed rest.

Naruto had no idea what to anticipate when it came to his brain damage. Most of the information about it had been given to Sasuke by some of the medical ninja since the Uchiha was going to basically act as his caregiver. But what had surprised Naruto the most about it was that it didn't hurt.

He was no expert on the brain, but he really expected to feel some sort of pain.

Sasuke's things were already inside his apartment when the blonde unlocked the door and stepped inside with Sasuke not too far behind him. They both had been pretty irritable and irritated since that morning so they pretty much tried to avoid each other as much as possible. Especially Naruto.

This whole arrangement to him was a pain in the neck, not to mention very awkward feeling. The very thought made his stomach turn upside-down while the rest of him felt extremely uncomfortable.

For the first few hours, Sasuke sat at the table with his arms crossed whereas Naruto laid on the couch in exhaustion. He had never seen the blonde so tired before and frankly, it was getting under his skin in a big bad way.

Unable to sit in silence anymore, Sasuke asked, "Naruto, are you okay?"

"No."

Naruto's answer sounded annoyed and downright sad. Sasuke remained quiet for a few minutes before finally getting up and sitting on the part of the couch Naruto's body wasn't covering. Something told him that he needed to.

The blonde's face was emotionless and he didn't move at all when he felt the shift in weight on the couch. They sat together in silence for a few more moments, both in some form of thought.

"How would you feel?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"Feel about what?"

"How would you feel if you…were gonna die?" Naruto asked, his quiet bordering on a whisper.

Naruto knew how he felt about it. At first, he was scared, but as he slowly began to accept it, he started feeling sad and depressed. He did want to know how Sasuke would feel, but in the back of his mind, he also wanted to know how the Uchiha felt about him dying.

"I don't know," Sasuke answered after sighing a little.

And with that said, Sasuke didn't talk anymore for the rest of the day. Nor did he interact with Naruto other than giving him his medication before the blonde turned in for the night.

This silence prolonged for two more days actually, neither boy very comfortable about speaking to the other. It was not as if they didn't want to talk, but more like they were not sure about what to say to each other.

At night, Naruto found it difficult to sleep, this thoughts to restless to even consider the possibly of slumber. But he never once opened up to Sasuke about it.

Two weeks later

Sasuke was out getting Naruto his special medication for the second time that week. For some reason, he was only given enough to last for about five days and he wasn't quite sure as to why he was always given so little.

After the initial awkwardness had lifted, Naruto and Sasuke communicated more and more each day. But Sasuke sometimes felt that the blonde wasn't letting on about how he was feeling most of the time, if he ever did at all.

With the small bag of medication in his pocket, Sasuke continued his trek back to Naruto's apartment until a certain pink-haired girl he hadn't seen in a while ran up to him in the middle of the street.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said excitedly when she finally reached the dark-haired boy.

Sasuke gave her a nod back, basically saying that he acknowledged her.

"So, Sasuke-kun, how's Naruto doing?"

"Better I guess," Sasuke answered, resuming his walk.

"You guess?" Sakura asked, walking alongside him, "You should know, right? Since you are living with him and all."

Sasuke didn't answer her, mostly because he wasn't sure about what to tell her. Sakura was slightly peeved about not getting a reply, but she decided that it was best to not press on the matter any further.

"Umm. Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called out after a moment's silence.

"What?"

"You don't think that Naruto will mind if I come see him today, do you?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks at Sakura's request. In all truth, Sasuke didn't know how Naruto would react if he showed back up to his apartment with Sakura behind him. All he could figure was that the blonde probably missed seeing Sakura. Sasuke would never admit to missing anyone, but even he felt a little strange about not seeing the pink-haired girl on a daily basis.

Nether one of them had seen Sakura since Naruto checked out of the hospital. Naruto wasn't allowed to leave the village for missions anymore because the doctors didn't want him to receive any other injuries and because of this, Naruto mostly stayed at home.

Sasuke, on the other hand, did go out into the village sometimes, but those trips were only for food and Naruto's medicine. He was also not allowed to go on missions because he was basically assigned to be Naruto's caregiver.

"No, I don't think he'll mind at all," Sasuke finally responded.

"Okay," Sakura said, trying to hide the enthusiasm in her voice.

Sasuke nodded again and proceeded to stroll towards Naruto's place, Sakura not too far behind him.

When they got there, Naruto was sitting somewhat leisurely on the couch. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and there was just a tired look in those orbs. But most of that exhaustion disappeared when he saw Sakura.

"Hi, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, getting up from the couch.

"Hey, Naru--wow! Look at your eyes! Are you okay?" Sakura asked, leaning in closer to get a better look.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm staying up too late at night," Naruto answered, scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke was sitting at table, choosing not to get involved too much. Naruto and Sakura eventually joined him at the table and sustained their conversation.

Sakura stayed over at the blonde's apartment for several hours, mostly just talking to the two of them. She mostly spoke with Naruto though since she was concerned about him and he was a more avid talker than Sasuke. She even made food for the three of them.

But she had to leave sooner or later and when she did, Naruto returned to his place on the couch in silence.

After shutting the door behind him, Sasuke got a pill out of the tiny bag in his pocket and filled a cup with water. He sat down next to Naruto, holding out the capsule and the glass.

"Here. It's time for you to take this," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto didn't say anything, but he didn't take the objects from Sasuke either.

"Naru--"

"That was nice of you, you know," Naruto said.

"What?"

"Letting Sakura come here. That was nice."

"Oh. I see."

Sasuke sat the cup and the pill on the small table in front of the couch.

"She really wanted to see you," Sasuke continued.

"Yeah," Naruto said back.

Sasuke gazed at Naruto and really began to notice how tired, sad, and pitiful Naruto looked. It was almost as if Naruto was expecting to die any minute now.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out softly, his hair covering his eyes as he looked at the floor.

"Yes?"

Naruto deliberated for a moment before whispering painfully, "I-I'm really scared, Sasuke."

Sasuke was rather shocked to hear this, especially since Naruto hadn't even given a hint to how he was feeling the entire time he was there. Yet at the same time, it made him a bit sad.

Naruto started to shake as he said, "I don't want to die yet."

Unsure of what to say to that, Sasuke just sat still and watched the blonde boy tremble, grimacing slightly when he saw a tear fall from Naruto's covered eyes.

Sasuke reached out and wiped away the stain the salty tear had left on his tan face with his pale fingertips. Watery blue eyes turned to Sasuke and before he could stop himself, Naruto wrapped his arms around the Uchiha, buried his face into his shoulder, and cried some more. Sasuke draped his arms over the boy's back, figuring he could use at least some comfort.

As they continued to embraced each other, they began to get more and more relaxed by the second, losing themselves in the feeling of being held and forgetting about everything else.

Author's Note: AHHH! Again with the crying!! …Yeah…listening to Stefy and Kim Leoni while typing this was…interesting to say the least. But I least I didn't listen to "Why" by Ayaka cuz I would've started crying all over my keyboard and then I'd be royally screwed. It would've put me in a more suitable mood for sad writing though. Oh well…I love Stefy, Kim Leoni, and Ayaka anyway so it's all good. Anyway, that is it for chapter 4 and I've finally decided what I'm gonna do about Naruto dying. Buuuuut you guys are gonna have to wait until like…around the last couple of chapters to find out. Please review!


	5. The Undeniable

Alrighty then, this is chapter 5 and I think it's safe to say that this chapter is the halfway point of 'To Wait By One's Deathbed'. I don't really plan to write more than 10 chapters anyway. Mostly because I don't want it to drag on forever and well…I'm lazy as hell. I can plan ahead like crazy, but when it actually comes to writing it, I find myself being distracted a lot…or just staring at the computer screen in unsureness. Okay, I won't keep you guys waiting anymore so please feel free to read ahead.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ……… Nope still don't own it. Damn, waiting didn't work.

Chapter 5: The Undeniable

_The next morning_

Sasuke awoke slowly sometime after the sun had risen into the previously blackened sky. Naruto's resting form laid heavily on top of his own, the blonde's left arm hanging limply to the side while his right was tucked under the Uchiha's back. He figured that they both must have fallen asleep after their somewhat intimate moment last night. The tears Naruto spilled the previous night had left dry, streak-like trails in all directions on his whiskered cheeks.

It was incredibly disheartening for someone that was usually so chipper and energetic to breakdown like he had done.

Sasuke ran his fingers lightly over Naruto's cheek, smudging the dried stains. He was not sure what had compelled him to act the way he did last night. He sucked in a large breath, Naruto's head moving with the motions of his chest. Last night and right then were the only times that he had ever been so close to anybody in a long time, both mentally and physically.

Naruto was unnaturally still, almost to the point of being motionless. He did not even react to Sasuke's soft caress or the movements of his chest. That when Sasuke remembered something that scared him more than he would ever want to say.

Naruto had not taken his medication last night.

The doctors that gave him the medicine had warned that the predetermined coma, maybe even death, might take hold prematurely if Naruto had missed taking the pill. Even if he had failed to take it only once, the risk involved was still very high.

Sasuke held Naruto close to him while he sat up on the couch quickly. He moved one of his hands to the back of Naruto's head, the other gripping the boy's back.

Shaking Naruto slightly, he called out, "Naruto."

There was no response from him. His head lolled to the side, almost dropping off of Sasuke's hand when he had shaken him.

Gripping the blonde's shoulders with both of his hands, Sasuke called out again, "Naruto!"

Not a sound came out of his mouth. A small tremble shook Sasuke's frame, his hold on Naruto tightening out of anger and, unexpectedly, sadness. In his stupor of emotion, Sasuke just barely noticed the minor noise of Naruto's breathing. It was too light to be considered a normal inhalation, but at least it was proof that he was still alive.

Unsure of what to do at first, Sasuke laid Naruto back on the sofa gently. He then saw the pill and the cup of water still sitting on the table. The raven-haired boy wasn't sure if it would help at all, but it was at least worth a try.

He picked up the pill and the glass, contemplating as to how he was going to get Naruto to swallow it. After a few seconds of thought, a crimson blush of embarrassment appeared on his face.

The only way he was going to get Naruto to take the pill would be to pass it to him through his mouth.

Taking another deep breath to clear his head, Sasuke put the tablet on his tongue and took a suitable amount of water in his mouth. He placed the glass back on the table and positioned himself above Naruto, opening the boy's mouth a little with quivering fingers. He didn't feel as perfectly calm as he normally was and his face got redder and redder as the proximity of their mouths decreased.

By the time that his lips were mere centimeters away from Naruto's, Sasuke's face was the color of scarlet, not to mention excruciatingly hot feeling. Afraid that he might swallow the pill if he waited any longer, Sasuke jammed his eyes shut and descended.

It was an easy task to get the pill and the proper amount of water into Naruto's mouth and down his throat, but that's not what bothered Sasuke. What bothered Sasuke, as he rose up from above Naruto, was that he didn't feel as disgusted as he did when they had accidentally kissed the day they were assigned to the same squad together. This time, though, their lips had connected for a good reason and it didn't technically qualify as a true kiss.

But that wasn't an explanation as to why the "kiss" didn't feel bad to Sasuke. Instead, it felt almost pleasant.

Deciding that now wasn't the time to think about it, Sasuke picked up Naruto and headed straight to the hospital.

_One hour later in the waiting room_

Sasuke sat alone in the waiting room, his foot tapping anxious, irregular patterns on the ground. He had explained what had taken place to the medical ninja and, instead of reprimanding him for his carelessness; they chose to tend to Naruto right away. Sasuke was told that the other members of their squad would be informed of the current situation, which made him all the more anxious. Especially where Sakura was concerned.

God knows she would burst into the room and start clinging to Sasuke while crying her eyes out in the midst of babbling inaudible nonsense. The thought of it alone made Sasuke release an annoyed sigh.

To say that Sasuke was feeling impatient at the moment was a vast understatement. He was just surprised that he hadn't been pacing the floor for the last hour.

Sasuke heard the door to the waiting room open and he turned to see Sakura walking towards him.

"Sasuke-kun, is he…is he okay?" Sakura asked when she finally reached him.

"I don't know," Sasuke answered in all honesty, standing up from his place on the bench.

"O-Oh," Sakura said softly, looking down at the floor.

Sighing deeply, Sasuke started, "Look, Sakura--"

But before he could get into what he was going to say, Sakura attached herself to his chest, sobbing. Sighing once again, Sasuke put his hand on the pink-haired girl's back in an attempt to calm her down.

This felt different. It wasn't the same as when he been comforting Naruto. In all actuality, Sasuke really didn't want to be standing the middle of the hospital's waiting room with a crying Sakura on him. He would've rather been by himself throughout his stay in the waiting room.

After about five more minutes of crying, Sakura finally backed away from Sasuke, wiping her wet face with her hands.

"Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"N-No," Sakura answered.

"Figures. He'll either be late or not show up at all," Sasuke said, sitting back down on the bench.

"So, Sasuke-kun," Sakura began before sitting next to him, "what happened to Naruto?"

Pausing for a moment, he replied, "His medication. He didn't take it last night."

"But why not?"

Sasuke was unsure how to answer that question. He wasn't very comfortable explaining the events of the previous night to Sakura or anyone else for that matter. That moment in time was something private, something that should be kept between him and Naruto.

The door to waiting room opened once again, but it was at the other end instead. The same medical ninja that had treated Naruto when he was first injured stepped into the room, a smile on his face. He motioned Sasuke to follow him into the room. Sasuke looked over at Sakura, who just smiled as a result.

"It's okay. I can wait," Sakura said, apparently taking the smile on the medic's face as a sign of good news.

Sasuke got up and walked with the medic into the patient ward. He quickly closed the door behind him, the smile still on his face.

"We almost lost him there for a second, but I'm happy to say that Naruto is awake now," the medic said.

Sasuke sighed in relief at this news, but the medic obviously wasn't finished talking.

"But we really have you to thank for that, Sasuke."

"What are you talking about? I was the one who almost let him die," Sasuke said lowly, disappointed at himself because of his recklessness.

Putting his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, the medic continued, "We both know that, but now is not the time to look down on yourself because you made a mistake. Naruto may have past the deadline to take it, but you still gave him the pill and that helped immensely in the end. Even something small like that can change the outcome."

A small smile emerged on Sasuke's face at hearing this. He was happy that he had helped prevent Naruto's death, even if it was by doing something small like the medic had said.

"Now, you should go over there and see him. He did ask for you specifically when he woke up," the medic informed.

"He did?" Sasuke asked, a little bit surprised.

The medic nodded before turning around and walking into the waiting room to give Sakura the same news.

Sasuke walked up to the bed, gazing at Naruto, who at that moment had his eyes closed. Sasuke sat down in the chair next to the bed and touched Naruto's hand lightly with his fingertips.

"Naruto," Sasuke called out gently.

Naruto opened his eyes slightly and smiled before replying, "Hey, Sasuke."

"How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better."

After a moment of silence, Sasuke whispered, "I was really worried about you."

Naruto looked Sasuke in the eyes. Of course Naruto had been told what had happened, but he was taken aback by Sasuke's statement.

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm fine now," Naruto said, not breaking his eyes away.

Naruto took hold of Sasuke's pale hand, to the Uchiha's astonishment, and closed his eyes tiredly, slowly drifting off. In that moment, as Sasuke sat next to Naruto's bed, holding the blonde's hand tightly, he acknowledged the undeniable feeling that he had felt all along.

Uchiha Sasuke was in love with Uzumaki Naruto.

Author's Notes: …I swear to God…Stupid crying people… Anyway, it took me a while to actually start working on this chapter because there was a lack of inspiration and these last few weeks have been horrible for me. Oh! I have a question for you guys. Would you guys like for Iruka to show up? I can write it either way, but I was thinking about how close Iruka and Naruto are and because I wasn't really sure if I should do it, I decided to leave it up to you patient people. Please leave me a review!


	6. The Confession

And welcome to chapter 6! It's finally here and you had better thank god that it is! I just can't believe you people are still putting up with me. XD! Anyway, in regards to the Iruka question, I did get some takers and I decided to just go ahead and put him in. He's not showing up this chapter, but I promise that he'll be in the next one. And before anyone even thinks about asking, I'm not putting in KakaIru as a side pairing. -_-' I want to keep this story strictly SasuNaru, but I do plan on starting a KakaIru, since I got into the pairing a couple months ago, but that's as soon as I get a plot for it. Whenever that happens… _!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would've stayed in the damn village. you stupid teme!! it happened a long time ago, get over it!! God!!

Chapter 6: The Confession

Naruto was eventually sound asleep in his hospital bed, Sasuke continuing to hold his hand all the while. Now that he had admitted to himself that he was in love with the young blonde, how he was going to tell Naruto was called into question. He couldn't be entirely sure of Naruto's reaction to such a declaration, but he was hoping that the relatively small amount of time they had used to bond would at least deter a negative reaction. Sasuke didn't even remember the last time they had argued over something or gotten angry at each other. But even so, the outcome of a certain action is undetermined until said event actually takes place.

Sakura left the hospital in favor of returning home upon hearing the good news and finding out that Naruto had fallen into slumber. Her excuse was that Naruto needed to sleep more and that she could wait for another opportunity to spend some time with the boy, but Sasuke knew that she would have stayed if Naruto had been awake.

Coming clean about his feelings was always a hard thing for Sasuke, seeing as he almost always kept himself at a distance from others, whether it was physical or emotional. He was, of course, very uncomfortable when it came to just thinking about telling Naruto about his love, but he did not want to spend the rest of his life wondering what could have been, especially since Naruto was due to die at any given day.

And that was another thing that bothered him. Even after telling Naruto how he felt, there was no guarantee that they would spent a significant amount of time basking in the feeling if Naruto did accept his newfound emotion.

There was no real set date for Naruto's death, just a predicated period time of about two months depending on certain elements.

Sasuke sighed lowly, the small noise like a pin dropping on the ground compared to the more or less rhythmically timed beeping of the monitors. He found the machine's constant sound to be virtually annoying. He knew that Naruto was alive just by watching the rise and fall of his chest and the beep the resounded every five seconds that signaled the boy's heartbeat was a continuous, almost unneeded reminder of the obvious.

Sasuke couldn't wait to get out of the hospital, the overbearing smell of antiseptics getting under his skin and weighting heavily on his nerves.

_Three hours later_

"You certainly took your sweet time napping like that," Sasuke said jokingly, stepping out of the hospital doors with Naruto right behind him.

"Oh right, and the fact that I was tired had nothing to do with it," Naruto said back with a smile, his hand still clutching Sasuke's even as they walked down the street.

Naruto hadn't been too content on letting go of Sasuke's hand. He gripped it while he was sleeping, but now that he was awake, he couldn't let it go for too long. It was almost as if he thought that if he released Sasuke's hand, it would be lost to him forever. Sasuke didn't mind, however, but it did make him wonder why Naruto was being just a tad bit clingy.

"It's okay. I understand. So do you want to get something to eat while we're still out? Or do you want to go home to eat?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…I guess I could eat out," Naruto answered, after a moment of thought, "but I don't have--"

"This one's on me, all right?"

The blonde nodded in response, unsure of how to react to Sasuke's sudden generosity. As they walked down the street, they got curious glances from the occasional passerby, but besides that slight feeling of awkwardness, their stroll was otherwise uneventful, not to mention quiet.

And that didn't change, even while they ate. They both seemed to be too absorbed in their own thoughts to even think about conversing with each other.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto called out, breaking their silence after they were leaving the ramen shop, once again hand-in-hand.

"What?"

"I just…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well…I guess for causing you so much trouble."

"It's not your fault, Naruto. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you," Sasuke said, his last sentence more like a quiet breath from his lips.

"What?" Naruto asked, not really catching all of what Sasuke said.

Shaking his head somewhat, he answered, "It's nothing. Do you wa--"

"Hey guys!"

Sakura ran up to them with a wave. Sasuke was faintly annoyed at being interrupted, but kept his complaints to himself.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with a smile.

"What happened to waiting until later?" Sasuke asked.

"What, I can't say hi to you two while I'm out--ummm. Why are you two holding hands?" Sakura questioned, gesturing to their hands.

Sasuke basically gave her a look that told her to mind her own business while Naruto, on the other hand, just blushed, his face slowly being consumed by the redness.

"Uhhhh, well--" Naruto started.

"Oh, nevermind, it's not important. So what're you two doing?"

"Nothing rea--"

"We're going to the pier," Sasuke interrupted.

"The pier?" Naruto asked, more than a little confused.

"Oh, I see. Well, I've got some errands to do so I see you guys later," Sakura said, walking off with a wave.

"The pier?" Naruto asked again with a raised eyebrow.

"I was about to ask if you wanted to go, but she showed up. So do you want to or not?"

"I guess it would be nice."

Sasuke nodded his head with the tiniest of smiles on his face. They weren't that far from the pier and from there it was only a short walk back to Naruto's apartment so it was like they were just making a quick stop before moving on to their true destination.

Naruto was a little uneasy at best. He couldn't figure why Sasuke was being nice to him all of a sudden. It wasn't like he was a heartless person before he was injured, but he hadn't really acted this way before either. In this situation, there were definitely more questions than there were answers.

Sasuke felt like he had to take Naruto somewhere else besides back home. Not only because he wanted to tell Naruto how he felt, but also because the poor blonde had chosen to stay cooped up in his apartment since he was released from the hospital after his accident. It was like Naruto had just given up on living out the remainder of life, choosing instead to wallow in his misery, waiting to pass away.

Sasuke wanted Naruto's last days to be something he could remember, if only for a little while. He wanted to see the blonde's face break out into a smile because he was feeling happy.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the pier, their small delay due to the fact that people who wanted to talk to Naruto kept stopping them along the way. Sasuke figured that they had heard what was going to happen to Naruto and were just being nice because of it, but it was hard to say.

They sat down at the very end of the pier, their legs hanging off at the front and almost touching the cool water. They were trapped yet again in another silence and quite frankly; Sasuke was getting tired of it. He didn't come here to just sit in silence that was quickly becoming something beyond repetitive. If he wanted to be surrounded by peace and quiet, they would've gone home already.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering something. Why is it that all you did was stay at home before?"

That had been bothering him for quite a while and it was nice to finally just get it off his chest.

"I…I'm not sure really."

Naruto had slowly sunk into depression after finding out he was going to die. The thought of dying kept him from sleeping and about a week after Sasuke had moved in, he had briefly thought about killing himself, to just go ahead and end it all. Afterward, though, he felt terrible and hated himself for being so weak.

But that night he had spent with Sasuke made him rethink what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

"I mean," Naruto continued, "I'm still not comfortable with…you know. There was so much that I wanted to do with my life, as I'm sure you know. I just…wasn't sure what to do."

Sasuke wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder, pulling the blonde closer to him for comfort. Naruto would probably never say it out loud, but he liked it whenever Sasuke chose to hold him like this. He felt safe and comfortable in the warm embrace Sasuke provided.

Before Naruto could really enjoy the closeness, Sasuke cupped his cheek, raising his face up before kissing Naruto's lips ever so gently. At first, Naruto's eyes were wide with surprise, but as the feeling of Sasuke's lips on his sunk in, his eyes drifted shut, surrendering himself over to the pleasant sensation.

After a few seconds, Sasuke pulled back and said lowly, "I don't know what to do either. But…I know that…I love you…and it hurts me to see you look so sad all the time."

The confession was finally off his chest and he felt much lighter without the pressure of knowing and not telling pounding in his brain. Now all that was left to deal with was Naruto's reaction. He was silent for a moment before breaking out into a small smile, a tear slowly trailing its way down his face.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke whispered, wiping away the tear with the side of his index finger.

"Nothing. It's just that…it makes me really happy to hear you say that. Actually…I was just sitting here wondering how I was gonna--" Naruto started before being interrupted by Sasuke's finger on his lips.

"Shhh. You don't have to say anything. Just knowing that you accept my feelings is good enough for me right now," Sasuke said quietly before capturing Naruto's lips again in another soft kiss.

Author's Note: *5 second pause*Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! That was so sweet and too friggin' cute for words! I think I'm gonna start crying! Ahhh that was satisfying. I think that's the least depressing chapter of this entire story so far. Thank god for fluff! :D! Oh, and Ethereal-Sage? I'm sorry about almost making you cry and I don't want this to sound wrong, but it's kind of comforting to know that I was able to evoke some real emotions with my writing. Not that this is my first time writing mind you, but I'm still getting used to people actually reading my work and piping in with their two cents. And the same goes for you guys too, SkywardShadow and UchihaUzumaki baby. I know…this story is just too depressing. T-T! Please Review!


	7. The Aspiration

Alrighty then, welcome to chapter 7! Yays! You know, as a writer, I sometimes wonder if someone else had wrote this story instead of me, would I have took the time to read it? Well, in my case, probably not since I mostly read one-shots for the purposes of—dare I say it—"research" and plus I don't really have the time to get anything longer than 1 chapter sometimes if I want a bunch of stories to take back home. So yeah, I think that by the end of this chapter you're all gonna be like 'Yes!' But the whole Iruka thing…yeah he's here…but not for long. I'm sorry for that. I did what I could. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. *sigh* It's such a depressing thing to admit. It's just adding on to the depression I already feel when it comes to writing this story.

Chapter 7: The Aspiration

_One month later_

Sasuke and Naruto were walking down one of the numerous streets of Konoha, their hands interlocked and their voices low for the purposes of private conversation. Sasuke had gotten into the habit of making Naruto go out into the village more, though there was never any force involved because Naruto was always happy to oblige when it came to leaving his apartment.

Things had taken a different turn for Naruto since Sasuke had admitted to his feelings for him. He was acting like the old Naruto again, but there were times when Sasuke would see the blonde looking at the village through a window, his eyes full of sadness with the same emotion written on his face.

Sasuke had made it a point to not talk about what the future would hold for Naruto, but he knew that would not stop the boy from thinking about his death when he had stolen a moment for himself.

The two hadn't really told anyone about their relationship, but the fact that they were almost always holding hands when they were out in the village did set off some alarm bells in the other villager's heads. They were rarely inclined to show any other signs of public affection when it didn't concern the embrace of their hands. The kisses they had shared in the past month were only for when they were in a confidential setting, Sasuke being the initiator for a good majority of them.

"So, Sasuke, can you please tell me why we're out today?" Naruto asked after their previous discussion had ended.

"I've already told you once, Naruto. The medics want to give you an examination. Just to see how you're doing," Sasuke answered.

"Oh, I see," Naruto replied lowly, his eyes directed at the ground.

"Hey," Sasuke started, halting their movement and raising Naruto's chin up to look at him, "don't worry about it. You'll checkout okay. I'll be right there with you the whole time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Naruto smiled at him, some of his hesitancy slipping away because of the Uchiha's words that held a certain amount of comfort and reassurance to them. But that was before he let a short laugh slip out from his mouth.

"What?" Sasuke asked, a little annoyed at being laughed at.

"Nothing, nothing. Now come on, we're gonna be late," Naruto said, practically dragging Sasuke with him as he walked.

Sasuke's eye twitched in irritation, but he decided to let it go with a sigh. If Naruto wanted to have a private laugh with himself, he had no right to try to take it from him or make the blonde share it with him. He probably wouldn't have found it funny anyway, considering the little sense of humor that he had.

When Sasuke really thought about it, he found that he admired Naruto on some level. Even after all the blonde had been through, whether it was being the most hated person in the entire village or everything that concerned his current ordeal with death, he always managed to pull through with a smile on his face. But with all that admiration came envy.

All Sasuke had ever done was focus on the negative and he would probably continue to do so until the day he died. And the thing that accompanied his negative focal point was a wall that made him unable to communicate what he felt most of the time. Being with Naruto did open him up, but only a little.

If Naruto hadn't been attacked during that mission, Sasuke wasn't sure if they would have been together in a romantic way.

_Later that day at the hospital_

Once again, to his own chagrin, Sasuke found himself sitting in the waiting room. For some reason, the medical ninjas wouldn't let him in the examination room with Naruto. They said they would tell him the results after they were done, but Sasuke would have rather been in the same room with Naruto than to be in the waiting room that was becoming all too familiar to him. Every single time he came here he had to wait in the same place for some reason or another and waiting really wasn't something he felt like doing anymore.

The sound of an opening door made him turn his head, the person standing in front of the double doors someone neither he or Naruto had seen in a long while.

Umino Iruka, teacher at the Ninja Academy and Naruto's only father figure, approached him with a smile, obviously in a cheerful mood.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Iruka said before sitting next to the Uchiha.

Sasuke give a short nod before asking, "What are you doing here, Iruka-sensei?"

"Straight to the point, huh? Well, I saw you through the window and I was just wandering if you wouldn't mind talking for a bit."

"…About Naruto?"

"How did you--"

"Just a guess."

They lapped into an awkward silence for a few moments. Of course Iruka had to have been at least somewhat aware of Naruto's predicament, but due to the sensitivity of the issue itself, the details that were actually released to the public were few and far between.

"…How's he doing?" Iruka asked, breaking the peace.

Sasuke looked over at Iruka, mentally contemplating on what he should say exactly. He knew of the connection that Naruto and Iruka had so he didn't see the problem with a sharing some information with the schoolteacher.

"He looks normal most of the time, but I can tell that he's putting up a front. He isn't as…energetic as he used to be. He's getting…tired."

"I see…"

Thinking for a second, Sasuke replied, "You can go talk to him if you like. I'm sure they'll let you in."

"No, that's okay. As much as I'd love to wait for him, I really have to go," Iruka said.

Iruka got up and walked out of the room, but Sasuke could have sworn he saw sadness and disappointment on the man's face. He probably did want to see Naruto, if only for a minute, but he had to settle with talking to Sasuke about him instead. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He wondered if he would be able to let Naruto go when the time came.

Sasuke had lost so much in his life so far and he wasn't sure he could handle going through that pain again.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke could automatically recognize the voice that was shouting out his name was Naruto's and judging from the tone that was used, the blonde was excited about something. That and Naruto had decided to call out his name before he even reached the door to the waiting room.

When the boy finally did get into the room, he practically lunged himself at Sasuke, making the other almost fall down.

"Well, a simple 'hey' would've been enough," Sasuke said in a teasing way.

"Oh just shut up and come on," Naruto said, dragging Sasuke with him back through the doors he had come from.

"What is it?"

Naruto didn't answer him, instead choosing to continue towing him along. When they did stop, it was in front of the same medical ninja that had saved Naruto from death's door twice. Sasuke assumed that he was a specialist at whatever was ailing Naruto because he never saw any other person around when it concerned the blonde.

"Ok, tell him," Naruto said excitedly.

"Tell me what?" Sasuke asked.

The medic smiled a little at Naruto's enthusiasm before saying, "Well, I need to inform you that we're changing his medication."

"Why?"

"While I was examining him, one of my associates was looking through some of our books, to see if there was anything we could do to help Naruto. He then found an article describing a pill that is similar to the one he's already taking, but is more potent."

The medic then picked up a small bottle from the table next to him and placed it in Sasuke's hand.

"We're not exactly sure if there will be any change in his condition, but there's no real harm in trying."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, turning the bottle in his hand over and over. The aspiration before him was one that was worth shooting for, considering how much he had thought about what the future would hold for him after Naruto died. Needless to say, the opportunity was making him feel ecstatic.

"So…does that mean he's going to live?" Sasuke asked.

"It's just a theory, but the chance of him living might get higher if he starts taking this medicine immediately."

Deciding the now was the time to leave them to their own devices, the medic left the room, which had lapsed into a period of calmness.

Naruto hugged the quiet Uchiha and asked, "Isn't this great, Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said, being the only word he could manage.

Sasuke then pulled back a little and cupped Naruto's face with both hands and ran his thumbs under the boy's eyes, almost needing to confirm the reality in front of him through touch.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Well…I can say that I'm excited. I mean come on, how would anyone else feel--"

Sasuke kissed him silent, drawing Naruto closer to his body. He could feel the tears stinging in his eyes, but held them back. They clutched each other tightly as they kissed, not wanting to let the other go for a second. Happiness wasn't enough to describe what they were experiencing for there were too many emotions swirling around in their heads for it to just be happiness by itself.

Sasuke broke away and said, "You talk too much, Naruto. You know that, right?"

"Shut up," Naruto said back before leaning forward for another kiss.

Author's Note: So one of my writing tracks this time around was "Death Wish" by Gackt. I know that might sound strange, but if you read the translated English lyrics, you will find—as I did—that they fit with this story surprisingly and that compelled me to give the song a good listening to. But OMG I so enjoy time lapses, even though that was a long one! They are so very handy though. I bet you guys really enjoyed this one, didn't you? And if you did, I'm very happy for you. :)! …But……nevermind… Please Review!


	8. The Truth

Sorry for the wait! And I just want to point out that in this chapter and in the last couple of chapters after this, some of you may think that Sasuke is being a sap. I'm just saying this before someone feels like they need point it out. Also please try not to make faces while reading. You know who you are. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. *hiding behind bubbles* Don't hit me…

Warning: This chapter may make you cry. In all seriousness, I came dangerously close to crying and my heart aches every time I think about the chapter events. I'm just saying.

Chapter 8: The Truth

_One week later_

"Naruto…Naruto, wake up," Sasuke said softly, shaking the blonde slightly as he spoke.

The blonde's eyes opened slowly, an exceedingly tired air about his face. On the outside, Sasuke put on a calm, patient expression, but on the inside, he was worried. It had become harder and harder to wake Naruto up in the mornings and he seemed more drained of energy by each passing day.

When he had started to take the new pill, it looked as if Naruto had improved, the lackluster completely gone from his blue eyes due to his newfound hope and his growing relationship with Sasuke. However, after a few days on the medication, his condition grew worse, so worse in fact that there were several occasions where he couldn't even get out of the house, much less the bed.

It had snuck up on them so quickly that neither of them knew what to make of it. They just knew that time was probably running out for them and that the only thing they could do was wait and try to make the most out of what they had left.

But what Sasuke didn't understand was why Naruto had suddenly taken a turn for the worse just when he was starting to get better.

"How are you feeling today?" Sasuke asked when Naruto finally sat up.

"I'd rather be sleeping…" Naruto answered, rubbing his eyes.

"I know, but you need to eat something. You can go back to sleep afterwards."

Another thing that changed was Naruto's appetite. He would hardly eat anything, too exhausted to even think about satisfying his stomach. And as a result, Naruto appeared malnourished, to the point where his rips were starting to show behind the layer of skin on his torso and his body was becoming almost skeletal exterior. If his brain trauma didn't kill him first, starvation would certainly be next in line to take his life.

With a yawn and a stretch, Naruto said, "I'll try."

"Good. But I have to go out for a bit. Will you be okay until I come back?"

"Of course I will."

Sasuke helped the weak boy into the kitchen, where he had already laid some food out for him on the table. And after placing a kiss on top of Naruto's head, the Uchiha left, shutting the door softly behind him.

There were too many questions that he wanted answered and waiting around without knowing wasn't something he was inclined to do. But if all these incidences meant what he thought it meant, he was going to have to be strong, not only for Naruto, but for himself as well.

_Later on at the hospital_

The medic was silent, whether it was in though or shock Sasuke wasn't sure. He had told the man exactly what had been happening to Naruto and yet he didn't know why he had to hear something he already felt was true. Maybe it was confirmation or curiosity that drove him here, but there was no going back now since he had already brought it up.

The medic sighed and whispered more to himself than to Sasuke, "It seems that time has finally come."

"What?"

"Well, the way I see it, either one of two things happened. Either we didn't give him the medication quickly enough or it just didn't have the right effect."

Sasuke was not a medical ninja by any means, but he knew what the man was getting at. He felt his heart wrench up in his chest and he tried his best to remain calm and unaffected on the outside.

"I can't really say for sure which it was without examining him myself, but it won't do any good at this point. …I'm sorry to say this, but there's nothing more I—or anybody else for that matter—can do for him in that aspect."

Sasuke's dark orbs looked down at the floor. He came here for answers, but in the end, he didn't feel at all relieved at the knowledge he received, but more along the lines of heartbroken. He knew what was going to come to pass when it concerned Naruto, but that didn't keep his eyes from clenching shut as he realized that he did not want to accept this outcome.

The time he had spent with Naruto made him happy and filled him with sadness at the same time. To love someone who was going to die no matter what was a true torture that physical pain couldn't compare to in the slightest. The bleeding would stop and the injuries would eventually heal, but emotional pain wouldn't stop just because of a bandage. If anything, a broken heart would last longer than a cut or a broken limb ever could.

Sasuke found himself being suddenly pushed towards the exit door by the medic.

"What are you--"

"You need to go home. We can't do anymore to help him, but you have to be there for him now. He may not have much time left."

That was all the motivation Sasuke needed for him to run out the double doors of the hospital and head towards Naruto's apartment as fast as he could.

When he did get there, he was vastly out of breath and he almost stumbled on his way through the door, closing it behind him while trying to recover from his clumsiness. Naruto wasn't in the kitchen so Sasuke was hoping he had gone back to his bedroom. With a shaking hand, he opened the bedroom door and almost sighed in relief when he saw the blonde sitting on top the bed.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke before giving him a weary, yet cheery smile and saying, "Welcome back."

Sasuke had to admit that he was still surprised at how Naruto could manage to put on a smile and still appear happy, even though he had to know what was about to take place. He walked over and sat down next to Naruto. Sasuke could see that something was wrong by looking into the boy's eyes and he couldn't help but be curious.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked as softly as could.

"I had trouble going back to sleep."

"Why? I thought you were tired."

"I am, but I just couldn't close my eyes."

Sasuke nodded to his answer, not really wanting to rush the blonde in anyway.

"Would you…umm," Naruto started unsurely, looking down at the bed with a blush on his whiskered cheeks.

"Would I what?"

"Would you…lay down next to me? I'd…feel better if you did," Naruto said, his nervousness apparent in his voice.

Sasuke smiled gently at Naruto. At this point, he'd be willing to do anything as long as it would make the boy happy.

"Of course I would."

Naruto snapped his head up in surprise, his face turning an even deeper shade of red.

"O-Okay."

They had never done this before and Naruto's response to it was an understandable reaction. He still looked tense even as they both layed down next to each other, Sasuke's hand taking his in a tender embrace calmed him down greatly. His breathing mellowed out and Sasuke could practically feel how tired he really was.

Sasuke almost could have fallen asleep, the warm of being nestled next to Naruto lulling him into a lethargic trance. But he couldn't let himself drift into slumber now. He tightened his grip on Naruto's hand, if only to keep himself awake longer. He wasn't sure if he could take it if he woke up the in the morning next to a Naruto who couldn't wake.

He wasn't sure when Naruto would slip into a coma, but just the thought of it occuring at any given time made him apprehensive, not to mention afraid.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called out.

"Yes. What is it?"

"…I love you. You know that…right?"

"Of course I do. What's this about all of a sudden?"

"I don't know… Just felt like something I should say…"

"You don't need to say it. I already know it's true."

The two lapped into a short silence, one thinking about what was happening to the person next to him, while the other wasn't really thinking anything at all.

"Sasuke…I'm really tired…"

Sasuke titled his head up to look at Naruto just to be shocked at what he saw. The pupils in the boy's eyes were beginning to change, the blue color becoming faded and indistinct, almost as if the shade were going to disappear entirely.

"No," Sasuke whispered solemnly after Naruto's eyelids had started to drift shut.

Sasuke shook the blonde somewhat, hoping to keep him in a state of consciousness, but to no avail. Naruto did not stir in the slightest, nor would he lift his drooping eyelids to gaze at Sasuke.

"Come on, don't go. Please. You can't leave me now!" Sasuke nearly shouted in sadness, tears welling up heavily in his dark eyes.

Naruto's grip on Sasuke's hand became slack before letting go of the appendage completely, his fingers limb and numb against the sheets. His wondrous cerulean eyes were completely closed, the bright luster of his orbs no longer visible.

Uzumaki Naruto would never wake to new day ever again.

The tears in the Uchiha's eyes ultimately fell down his pale face, the look on his features one of utter despair. He kept his sobs at bay the best he could manage, his heart fit to burst with all of the sorrow that it now contained. And even though he could still hear Naruto's light breathing, he knew that he'd never be able to talk with Naruto again, never see the smile that he had come to cherish above everything else in his life.

Sasuke grasped the blonde's hand that was still underneath his, cupping the palm on his cheek as he cried. Tear after salty tear ran down his face as he trembled, but in the end, tears could not bring the one he loved back from his comatose state. Sasuke leaned up until his forehead rested against Naruto's, the liquid from his eyes falling down to the boy's face with a broken moan of emotional pain to accompany them. The truth had come out and it was too much for Sasuke to bear. He watched the tears fall down onto the boy's face, the saline fluid running down the tan cheeks, almost making it seem as though Naruto was the one crying instead of him.

"I know…it probably doesn't mean much now, but…I love you, too," Sasuke whispered to the sleeping Naruto, placing one last gentle kiss on his lips.

Author's Notes: I realize some of you are upset at this point, but we have something serious to discuss so pay attention. When I started this story, I had absolutely no intention of making a sequel. But now that it's almost over, I'm starting to have those thoughts. My overactive imagination is to blame, but I want your opinion. Now, you do not have to give me your answer right away. You can wait until you submit your review for the last chapter, but if you are really sure about it, you can give me your answer in the review for this chapter. And just to put this out there, if you don't have me on author alert that is, I have published some other SasuNarus. You'll just have to read them to find out. ^^ Please Review!


	9. The Guilt

Okay, people, it's time to bust out the tissues. Ya know, the more I think about it, the more I'm considering doing that sequel. But I still want opinions! You still have time to think on it, people! By the way, I know it's a little late, but thank you, Ethereal-Sage, for the SasuNaru cookies. *nibbles happily* But…seriously, some of you may want to have a tissue nearby while you read. In the mean time, I'll be putting on my anti-'How could you do such a thing, you filthy whore!' lotion as a precaution… And this chapter barely has any talking so prepare to read A LOT of description. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: It should be obvious by now, but I don't own Naruto. DON'T SHOOT ME!!

Chapter 9: The Guilt

_The next day at the hospital_

Sasuke sat in a chair he had pushed up next to Naruto's hospital bed. Once he had explained Naruto's current condition to the Hokage the previous day, the old man had ordered him to take the boy to the hospital immediately. Sasuke didn't really see the point of doing so, but he obeyed the command nonetheless.

As the medic had said the previous day, nothing more could be done and Sasuke genuinely believed it to be true. The Uchiha just didn't feel like fighting the preordained anymore. If there actually was nothing he could do, then he saw no reason for either of them to be here. He would have rather stayed at home with Naruto, watching over the boy while he slept soundly in his own bed. It would have been much more quiet and less nerve wrecking than passing the short time at a hospital where death was given a home almost every day.

But, either way, all there was left to do now was wait, the very thing Sasuke hated doing with a burning passion.

Now that Naruto was in a coma, it wouldn't be too long before he passed away. At least Sasuke hoped it wouldn't protract now. He feared that he would just get even more stressed out if it stretched on more than it should.

And if the medics were essentially correct in the initial examination they had done in the early hours of the morning, then he should pass on some time in the late evening. It was very late in the afternoon now and the clock ticking on the left wall just seemed to make time go as slowly as possible, the unhurried hands of the timepiece plucking at Sasuke's low patience level.

No one else had been informed of the circumstances yet and Sasuke was glad for the discreet measure taken. He wasn't sure if he could deal with having to explain to other people what was going on, especially Sakura. He hadn't even seen the pink-haired for nearly two weeks and he guessed that she was being kept busy with missions so she wouldn't be spending the majority of her time fretting over Naruto's welfare.

But everyone in Konoha would know eventually and he would have to take it in a cold stride, making himself give the impression of being unaffected by the loss. Getting too emotional wasn't really something he did very often, but he couldn't help himself when it concerned Naruto and he feared that his control would slip through the cracks of his fingers at the wrong time.

The medic who had dealt with Naruto throughout the entire process walked in and proceeded to check the machines. They weren't really keeping him alive so much as giving an extra boost. The only thing that was truly was maintaining what little life Naruto had left was Naruto himself.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" the medical ninja asked once he was done.

"No thank you. I'm fine," Sasuke replied quietly.

The medic gave him a worried look and said, "You should get some rest while you can. You've been awake since you checked him in yesterday."

"No. I'm staying awake."

Sasuke knew he was being obstinate, but being pushed so deep into the situation and being so in love with Naruto made him crave some sort of closure. He wanted to see this thing through to the very end and he wasn't going to let something like rest stand between him and his goal, however exhausted he was at the point in time.

The medic backed away with no other words to spare for the young Uchiha. A twinge of sadness ran through him. Seeing such devotion was a rare thing these days and he felt as if he didn't have the right to interrupt until the time came. Sasuke heard the sound of a door closing softly and he was inwardly glad that the medic hadn't decided to persist with talking to him. He didn't want to speak to anybody now, didn't want anyone else except for Naruto to be near him.

All he sought at the moment was some quiet time in order to think things over. Taking hold of Naruto's hand, he brought it closer to his face, gazing at it in an examining manner.

Sasuke remembered the first time Naruto held his hand tight and the memory made a small smile touch his lips.

The simple act was enough to make Naruto happy no matter how many times it was repeated. It was like that one appendage was Naruto's lifeline, keeping him afloat and positive even though he knew he would have to eventually let go. He placed a light kiss on one of the knuckles and let it fall back on the bed.

It seemed almost cliché for him to be mulling over the times Naruto and he shared, but he couldn't stop them from invading his head.

Know that he was thinking of it, whenever the blonde and he were together, it was like they were in their own little world, letting themselves be confined to a place where no wrong could be done. The good recollections always outweighed the bad, however looming they may have been at the time. While they were in each other's presence, they appeared to forget what it was that brought them together in beginning. And Sasuke wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

He wanted every touch, kiss, and private moment that ever ensued between them to be forever imprinted into his mind.

But the memory of that horrific incidence persevered itself and he yearned to forget the occurrence completely. He never wanted to feel that sort of helplessness ever again. Once was more than enough, but twice was unbearable now that they were in this place, awaiting the upcoming end.

Being unable to assist during the assassination attempt was perhaps the only thing he regretted.

Sasuke took a deep breath and glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon and he could make out the outline of the moon in the sky. He virtually could have laughed at himself. His personal thoughts were definitely making the time fly by him much faster. The Uchiha stood from his chair and stretched out, some of his joints cracking as he moved.

For a reason he couldn't quite understand, Sasuke extended his arm, resting his hand above the blonde's slow heartbeat. Naruto's breath came out as a soft sigh and the sound made Sasuke wonder if Naruto could somehow determine that he was nearby. There really was no way for any of them to tell if he could in fact still be aware of his surroundings.

Sasuke felt a form of solace, knowing that Naruto was still with him. He had long since stopped paying attention to the heart monitor and actually feeling the prove of the boy's life pounding against his palm was much better than an maddeningly tedious bleeping sound. Sasuke let gaze wander to Naruto's face, the features peacefully still. He traced the side of one of the whisker cheeks with his finger before gently cupping it.

Though it dawned on him slowly, Sasuke realized that after tonight, he would never be able to look at Naruto again, to feel his soft skin beneath the pads of his fingertips. How he could ever recover after Naruto died was beyond him. Only time would be able to stitch up those wounds, leaving behind a thin seam that would be ready to burst open at the slightest provocation.

A prolonged beep interrupted his internal reflections and he resumed his position in the chair. A few medical ninja rushed into the room, crowding around Naruto and the machines. Sasuke wouldn't tear his eyes away from Naruto's unmoving form for he already knew what had happened.

Uzumaki Naruto, after nearly two months of waiting for the inevitable, had finally passed on from the land of the living due to massive brain trauma.

Sasuke watched on silently, the feeling of tears prickling up in his eyes making him tremble slightly. He would absolutely not cry in front of some random strangers. The only person who was worthy enough to see that type on raw emotion was Naruto and even the blonde had never truly seen such a distressing act of sentiment from Sasuke before he fell into a coma.

He could vaguely hear two of the medics talking quietly to each other, about what he couldn't tell. The other was busy removing the needles and all of the other various things attached to Naruto's body. Minutes later, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a whisper enter his ears.

"We're going to let you have a few minutes alone with him before we take the body. Is that all right?"

Sasuke nodded shortly, remaining very still as the medics left him alone in the room. And even after they were gone, he continued to be immobile. He barely registered the tears falling from his dark eyes; the only feeling assaulting him was a type of numb misery. It was a kind of sadness that could never truly be expressed through actions or words, the type of melancholy that no one ever wanted to suffer from for a second of their life.

He recalled how distraught he was yesterday and the sensation in him now couldn't even relate to each other in the least. He wasn't a sobbing mess like before, but the pain was still evident in his expression, his free flowing tears a testament to his aching heart.

Sasuke always felt as though he'd be stuck in the past forever, unable to let go and move forward. And the boy's lifeless body lying before him was just another reason for him to reside in that unchanging chamber were only the wrongs he had experienced survived in the cold abyss. He knew Naruto would have wanted him to go on with his life and hopefully find another person to love, but the thought of doing either one made the throbbing hurt in him more pronounced.

He wasn't ready to say goodbye to the only person he had ever truly come to love in his sad existence.

There was too much left unsaid between them and even as he sat in his chair, letting the tears fall soundlessly from his face, he couldn't bring himself to bid his farewell to the now dead Naruto. The guilt was eating him alive, running through his veins like an unrelenting virus, infecting everything in its path in order to destroy him from the inside out.

An itching compulsion made Sasuke lay down next to Naruto the best he could manage, resting his head on the boy's shoulder. The minute that he stayed there felt sluggish and he was thankfully for it. Raising his head up, he placed a lingering kiss on Naruto's cheek, a final goodbye to the person who was his best friend, his teammate, his rival, and his lover all wrapped up into one individual.

Author's Notes: And the dreaded outcome has arrived! I'm sorry, but I can't go changing my mind about what I already had planned. Because then I'd have to think of something new... But I had to walk away from the computer after typing that last line, if only to get the shakes off. And meyasha? I realize that we have kind of a connection going on since we're both avid Gackt fans (woo! By the way, DO NOT listen to "Aishite Story" {I think I spelled that right} when you read and/or reread this fic. I swear to God, it'll make you feel awful. It popped up while I was typing and I got so teary eyed. *sigh* Such a beautiful song though…) and I hope that you don't mind me laughing a little bit at your review. Only 1 more chapter to go! Yay?? Please Review!


	10. The Promise

Soo…a lot of people yelled/cried at me because of the last couple of chapters. And, well, I'm basically still expecting it for a long time to come. Since I'm now officially a Naruto killer. Hehe, I made this chapter especially sad just for you guys. Aren't I just awful? And remember that one-month time lapse back in chapter 7? I decided to include some of the stuff that happened during that month since I needed something to put in. Oh, yeah, I kinda wrote a poem while I was thinking about this story and I'm most likely going to post it on fictionpress. And once again, there's barely any talking so yeah. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: For the last time in this story, I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 10: The Promise

Two days later

Today was it, the day of Naruto's funeral. The arrangements had been procured earlier than what would have usually been done, but Sasuke wasn't complaining in the least. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible so he could start repairing what was left of his heart.

Heartbroken didn't even begin to truly describe what he was feeling. He was never one to regret the decisions he made most of the time and even though despondency was wreaking its sorrowful havoc on his being, he wouldn't have changed the connection Naruto and he shared during the remaining part of the blonde's life. Seeing the boy smile in contentment made it worthwhile in the end, however miserable he may have been feeling. Naruto's emotional mask was almost perfect, the only noticeable flaw being his eyes.

Those sparkling blues never succeeded in hiding its host's feelings from Sasuke.

Knowing about what was going to happen to Naruto didn't help by any means. If anything, the knowledge made everything worse, if only in the background of it all. They had been happy through during the last month, but the depressing fact loomed over them, ready to fall and crush them under its oppressive weight. And it had fallen exceedingly hard.

Sasuke had been asked to deliver a eulogy, but he declined without a moment's thought. He wasn't certain if he would be able to say anything about Naruto that would give him the justice he deserved.

And now that he was standing here with only a few people around him to stand witness to the burial, Sasuke found himself to be speechless and almost completely immobile other than when he breathed. He didn't even look to see who had shown up because at that moment, he felt like the only person on the planet. And frankly, he very much wanted to be alone in the literally sense. It was better for him to cope with things when he was left to his own devices.

The setting was extremely contradictory to the event occuring. Not a single cloud interrupted the calm blue pigmenting the sky, the sun a bright beacon illuminating all its brilliant rays touched, filling everything with warmth unlike any other.

Everything except for Sasuke, who felt much too chilled to be considered alive. Not even the clothes on his back provided him with a temperature worthy of an individual who could still take a breath of air and feel as though they were thriving.

The funeral was an all around quiet affair, the only constant noise being the wind as it passed by. No one spoke to him and even if they did, he didn't care to hear them, his mind being in a different place and time, back to that first month they had spent as a couple before they were given hope over Naruto surviving from his trauma.

During that time, Naruto had told him a lot of things, mostly dealing with what he liked and what his dreams, hopes, and fears were. And Sasuke would always listen to every word, copying them into his mind because there was a reason why Naruto told him those things. He knew without even having to ask the blonde for a reason. He could just feel it radiating off him with every passing moment.

Naruto wanted someone to know him for everything that he was while alive. Sasuke was respectful enough to allow Naruto the freedom to do so without being questioned. It wasn't often that someone had to sit by whilst watching another person die slowly, nor should no one ever have to.

The others parted soon enough, leaving Sasuke alone with only Naruto's headstone to keep him company, only his name gracing the firm stone. It wasn't like nothing else could have been carved on, but more like no one knew what to put.

Sasuke felt like he had been wronged too much in his life so far. No twelve year old existing anywhere should ever have to be an eyewitness to as much death as he had seen. But he had overcome it all with a new wall around his heart as a testament to what he had been through, only for the structure to crumble down to almost nothing because of the death of someone who, while alive, was the most precious person to him.

He sat down in front of the stone, staring at it like it wasn't wanted in his life yet looking at it as though he had no choice but to accept it for what it was. Although Naruto was dead, he still felt like there were things that he needed to share, even if his words would only land on deaf ears. Saying them would make him feel at least a little better, not being able to get a reply aside.

For a few moments, Sasuke once again found himself silent. He was naturally a rather quiet person and even after the blonde was gone, he still had trouble expressing himself. Taking a deep breath, he let his resolve carry him forward, even if he felt awkward about talking in front of a grave.

Sasuke reached out, running his fingertips over the etching of Naruto's name and said, "I recall that you once told me that your greatest fear was that no one would remember you after you died. You never asked for anyone to do that, but you were still afraid that no one would choose to keep you with them when you passed on."

Tears slid down his face when he reflected on all that had taken place for what seemed like the hundredth time. Sasuke thought that he had cried all the tears that he ever needed to in the past few days, but that didn't stop them from flowing from his eyes. Something told him that it would be a long while before he completely got over this, if ever at all.

Being a person who held onto the past like a lifeline would prove depressing in this situation.

Though, now that he was thinking about it, he didn't feel weak over shedding tears. He had stopped crying long ago, after his brother had destroyed his clan. And since that day, he swore to himself that he wouldn't cry anymore no matter what happened in the future that made him feel like he needed to.

Crying had yet to solve anything in his life so far and before now, he found it an unnecessary show of weakness that he could do without. But now, his expression of grief through tears almost seemed like an involuntary response to what he was experiencing, the salty liquid flowing free before he could attempt to put a stop to them.

"You know, I could just imagine what you'd do if you saw me like this," Sasuke said quietly, covering his watery eyes with his hand.

Sasuke had gotten to know Naruto enough that the reaction would have been obvious to him by now. The blonde would make some snide yet meaningless comment and then hold him like Sasuke himself had done on the night he had divulged his fears over dying. Sasuke wished Naruto could hold him once again. He wouldn't allow anyone else the privilege of doing so, not when he was still very much in love with someone whose life had been cut short.

"Anyway," Sasuke continued from his earlier topic, "I will never forget what you meant to me. And I'll always keep your memory with me, even if no one else does."

Sasuke stood up and backed away from the grave, the wind blowing by and picking up his hair with it. It seemed almost pointless and ridiculous to talk to a dead person, their ears forever closed to any sound that happened to come by. But Sasuke felt like he had to make an everlasting vow of never forgetting the blonde ninja. There was solace to be found in that sort of oath, but sadness accompanied it as well.

The Uchiha looked up towards the cloudless sky, the promise of another bright spring in the air. Only this time around, there would be one less person to bask in its green wonders born of the earth. It seemed cruelly ironic that Naruto had died just when new life was emerging.

He closed his eyes from the happiness of the nature surrounding him and asked, "Is it all right for me to keep loving you…Naruto?"

Not surprisingly, he wasn't given answer. Reopening his dark eyes, he felt the wind pick up again and caught sight of some petals from a cherry blossom tree flowing with the gentle breeze. He remembered Naruto saying that he had a particular liking for cherry blossoms when one of them grazed against his cheek for a moment, the scent of pollen reaching his nose.

Smiling lightly, he reached out to capture it in his palm, his fingers brushing against it briefly before evading his grasp to continue its journey through the air.

Hand suspended in the air, Sasuke watched the petal swirl away from him, thinking of how both the petal and Naruto were similar in a way. They were both right within his grasp for a moment, just to fly away and leave him behind in their wake of captivating him enough to reach out.

"I miss you already, Naruto," Sasuke whispered before walking away from the headstone.

He would move on for his own sake, but he would forever be unable to let go.

Author's Notes: And that's the end! By the way, I just decided to make it spring. Don't know why. Wow, I just realized that this is my first completed multi-chaptered story. I would like to thank all of you who took the time and had the patience to read this fic. I greatly appreciate it. ^^! And a special thanks goes out to:

SkywardShadow—You were quite literally with me from the very beginning and I am grateful for your every review. And you're the only other person I know besides a good friend of mine who puts "le gasp". Lol.

punkin17—Thanks for actually reading most of my Naruto fics and basically just putting up with my late updating crap. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out a way to update more frequently before long. …Sometime before my imagination commits overly dramatic suicide with a toothbrush… Hahahahaha, sorry, too much Mountain Dew.

Ethereal-Sage—For your passionate reviews. And the cookies! But seriously, there was no way that I'd be able to change my mind about Naruto dying. I did change tactics once for a different fic… Never again, man. Never again.

meyasha—For being a raving Gackt fangirl with me and for your reviews. And you thought there was going to be a happy ending somewhere? *wags finger in your face* Shame on you and your naïve ideas of happiness. Hahahaha. *returns invisible high five* Damn straight we be Gackt fans, yo! *does weird hand gesture that means nothing* XD

And of course to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and story alerted, big sparkly anime eyes full of love for you all! And I must thank Avril Lavigne's album "Let Go", for giving me the inspiration to start working on this last chapter.

Sequel: I have NO clue when it will be published or if I'm actually gonna write it. There are still some details that need to be sorted out and it's kinda hard since my imagination likes to play the ever tedious game of 'ooo, new story idea, let's drop everything else and work on this'. The theme has pretty much been set since I first mentioned a sequel. If I do publish it, it'll be called 'Lingering Memories'. Though I am trying to publish works for other fandoms so forgive me if I stray away from Naruto for a while.

Anyways, see ya! Please Review!


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